Cherry Sauce
Summer is the season for ice cream. Actually, I do love ice cream year round, but the heat of the summer seems to increase my ice cream craving.
As a general rule, I tend to eat my ice cream without toppings. It is not that I am opposed to eating the toppings, but my preference is for homemade toppings and my desire for ice cream usually does not allow for time to fix a topping.
I had friends over July 4th. One of the desserts I baked was my Red White & Blue Pie, the white coming from vanilla ice cream. As I was planning the menu I thought that it would be lovely to also offer guests the option of vanilla ice cream with a topping.
Cherries are in season now so I decided it would be fun to make a cherry topping. I had never made one before, but what was the worst thing that could happen? I am relieved that the answer remains a mystery.
I eliminated the idea of flambéing the cherries. I am really not that coordinated and I like my eyelashes, eyebrows and hair. I spared my friends from viewing their own personal fire show in the kitchen.
Instead, I cooked the cherries with sugar, water, cornstarch and a bit of cognac until the mixture was a bit thick and until the brandy cooked off.
I served the cherry sauce hot off the stove. It was fun spooning it over the ice cream and watching the ice cream melt. It did present me with a dilemma, however; I needed to take pictures for the blog but I really wanted to scoop up the entire bowl and dive right in.
The next day I decided to give the sauce a try right from the fridge. Happily, it is just as delicious cold or hot, which makes this a perfect ice cream topper for those of us who immediately need our ice cream fix.
| Cherry Sauce | Print |
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1¾ pounds pitted cherries (about 4 pounds whole cherries)
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1½ teaspoons cognac
- For cherry sauce:
- Dissolve cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add cherries, cornstarch, ¼ cup water and heavy cream. Bring to boil. Lower heat and add cognac. Cover and simmer until cherries soften, 8-10 minutes.
- Remove lid and stir until mixture thickens.
- Transfer to serving bowl. Spoon over ice cream and enjoy.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- Pit cherries into a large plastic bag. The mess is self-contained in the bag.
- Cherry sauce is delicious hot or cold.
